* American Idol Top 4 Results

Chris Daughtry goes home, three remain, songs chosen by the finalists, the judges, and the one and only Clive Davis next week.

The final four, Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Elliott Yamin, and Katharine McPhee, learned their fate tonight, and Chris was sent home with the lowest number of votes. Host Ryan Seacrest delivered the news while Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell looked on. After being told that she was in the bottom two, Katharine looked shocked not to be going home.

Of all of the pundits (on my chart), only three got it right, and only HL Dave is a human pundit. The other pundits that got the bottom two and the bottom one right were both computer programs: DialIdol.com and Zabasearch. (Hey Zabasearch, add historical data to your website so we can figure out how you stack up against DialIdol.com.)

At work, we theorized that it would only be a shocker if Taylor went home. Most pundits picked Katharine to go home, a few picked Elliott, and fewer picked Chris. Simon got it wrong. I got it wrong.

This will certain get the conspiracy theorists fired up. Constantine Maroulis was eliminated in a “shocker” in season 4 (finishing 6th), now Chris Daughtry is eliminated in a “shocker” in season 5 (finishing 4th). But I believe that there are no shockers on American Idol. The best performers always win.

Which brings me to my rant about this competition. Is American Idol a singing competition, as Simon so often reminds us (especially after a performer dares to – gasp! – dance)? Of course American Idol is not a singing competition.

If it were a singing competition, there would be no need to televise it – radio would suffice.

If it were a singing competition, there would be no need to have pre-performance chats with the contestants, videos of their rehearsals, and background stories.

If it were a singing competition, the judges would never comment about clothing and personality.

If it were a singing competition, there would be no stylists and no wardrobe budgets.

If if were a singing competition, there would be no need for the official American Idol magazine scorecard (no I don’t subscribe – I saw it at the barber shop) to have columns for scoring vocal ability, song choice, stage presence, appearance, and personality (the last three of which are not about singing).

“Vocal Ability: Did the contestant sing his or her song(s) well? Were the notes on key? Did the contestant remember the lyrics? How did he or she sound?

Appearance: What did you think about the contestant’s look? Did you like the outfit? Did the outfit he or she was wearing go well with the song(s) he or she performed?

Song Choice: Every song a contestant performs is one they’ve selected for themselves. Was the choice a good one? Did it match the contestant’s vocal abilities and the show’s theme? Was it a popular song that the contestant was able to make his or her own?

Personality: As the finalist interacted with Ryan and the judges, was he or she likeable to you? Did he or she capture your support?

Stage Presence: During the performance, did the finalist perform the song or just sing the notes? Did he or she interact with the TV cameras and in-studio audience? Does the contestant have what it takes to be a true pop star and win the competition? This score is a measure of the finalist’s ‘IT-Factor,’ or overall star quality.”

No, American Idol is not a singing competition. American Idol is a performing competition. Which is why we end up with a celebrity in the audience, Rebecca Romijn, gushing over Taylor and asking him to reprise last night’s version of “Jail House Rock.” Of course, Taylor brought down the house, all along probably wondering why he was singing on elimination night. All of the final four are great singers. Only Taylor is a great performer.

Chris went home tonight because he didn’t perform as well as the top three last night, simple as that.

Congrats to Dave for moving up on the chart. Everybody else stayed put.